Greater Earless Lizards - Female
Cophosaurus texanus. Range: Zacatecas into New Mexico; central Arizona northern Texas. In New Mexico, primarily in the southwest boot heel and along the Rio Grande and Pecos River valleys.

Female Greater Earless Lizards lack the black bars of the male; they have salmon-colored patches on their sides and throat when gravid (pregnant). Back color may blend to the color of their surroundings. They have no ear openings. When asserting territory, they may flatten their abdomens, flex their legs or do “pushups”. They may run with their tails curled over their bodies to display the banding on the underside of their tails. These lizards are common in sandy or gravelly areas. They eat spiders and a wide range of insects.

Greater Earless Lizards - Male. Cophosaurus texanus. Range: Zacatecas into New Mexico; central Arizona northern Texas. In New Mexico, primarily in the southwest boot heel and along the Rio Grande and Pecos River valleys.

Male Greater Earless Lizards have two black bars above their lower hip within a blue patch. Back color may blend to the color of their surroundings. They have no ear openings. When asserting territory, they may flatten their abdomens, flex their legs or do “pushups”. They may run with their tails curled over their bodies to display the banding on the underside of their tails. These lizards are common in sandy or gravelly areas. They eat spiders and a wide range of insects, preferably grasshoppers.

Desert Grassland Whiptail. Cnemidophorus uniparens. Range: Chihuahua into New Mexico; east Arizona to the Rio Grande. In New Mexico, primarily in the southwest quarter of the state.

Desert Grassland Whiptails have green to greenish blue tails and striped bodies with no spots. They are all females and reproduce parthenogenetically. That is, their eggs hatch without fertilization and their offspring are genetic replicas of the mother. These lizards inhabit mainly the lower mesquite-covered desert grasslands and overgrazed areas. They eat insects, preferably termites. They can become meals for the Longnosed Leopard Lizards, roadrunners and loggerhead shrikes of the Bosque del Apache .

New Mexico Whiptail. Cnemidophorus neomexicanus. Range: Along the Rio Grande Valley from Chihuahua to northern New Mexico. In southern New Mexico from the Arizona border to the Tularosa Basin.

Practically all New Mexico Whiptails are females; they reproduce parthenogenetically. That is, their eggs hatch without fertilization and their offspring are genetic replicas of the mother. On occasion, they have mated with other species of lizards, resulting in color pattern variations. These lizards inhabit mesquite-creosote bush scrublands and shrub desert grasslands up through piñon-juniper woodlands, also sandy or gravelly arroyos and riparian areas. They are good climbers. They dig and forage for meals of insects, spiders and sometimes scorpions. In turn, birds and snakes find them tasty.

Desert Spiney Lizards are large and stocky with pointed scales and black wedge-shaped markings on their shoulders. Males have blue throats, chests and abdomens; females are whitish below with red or orange coloring on the head when breeding. These lizards inhabit mainly the mesquite- and creosote bush-covered desert grasslands and playas or arroyos. They take shelter under rocks, logs, in crevices and rodent burrows to regulate their body temperature. They eat insects, preferably ants and caterpillars, and occasionally other lizards. They are, in turn, eaten by Coachwhips and Longnosed Leopard Lizards.

Checkered Whiptail. Cnemidophorus tesselatus. Eight of New Mexico’s 13 species of Whiptails are parthenogenetic.

Practically all Checkered Whiptails are females; they reproduce parthenogenetically. That is, their eggs hatch without fertilization and their offspring are genetic replicas of the mother. On occasion, they have mated with other species of lizards, resulting in color pattern variations. These lizards inhabit mesquite-creosote bush scrublands and shrub desert grasslands up through piñon-juniper woodlands, also sandy or gravelly arroyos and riparian areas. They are good climbers. They dig and forage for meals of insects, spiders and sometimes scorpions. In turn, birds and snakes find them tasty.

IIdentified by the blue-black blotch on either side behind their front legs, coloring on the back of the Side-blotched Lizard varies. Females and juveniles have stripes, speckles and/or chevrons edged in white. Their habitat varies from sandy to rocky terrain with sparse vegetation. Side-blotched Lizards capture ants, beetles and other insects by waiting for prey to come to them. They may eat plants on occasion. They are, in turn, eaten by Coachwhips and Western Whiptails.

Side-blotched Lizard Male. Uta stansburiana. Range: From Washington to central Mexico; from California to west Texas. In New Mexico, in the southwest quarter and along the Rio Grande and Pecos River Valleys.

Identified by the blue-black blotch on either side behind their front legs, coloring on the back of the Side-blotched Lizard varies. Males may have gray, brown, black or yellowish backs with little or no pattern. Their bellies are white to bluish gray. Their habitat varies from sandy to rocky terrain with sparse vegetation. Side-blotched Lizards capture ants, beetles and other insects by waiting for prey to come to them. They may eat plants on occasion. They are in turn eaten by Coachwhips and Western Whiptails.